SKATEBOARDING'S FOR KIDS

Written by Kayliegh Algie

SKATEBOARDING'S FOR KIDS

Said the most uneducated person ever.

This statement was thrown out at me around the age of 24 and it was not until I reached 25 that I realised how seriously this had a negative impact on me mentally. I think what this person meant to say was there are more children skating than adults. I can confirm I am now in fact a parent of two beautiful children and a qualified skateboarding coach.

How could this possibly have had any impact on my health? It's just skateboarding, right? Wrong. Skateboarding is a way of life, a constant, escape, feeling, movement, sensory stimulant, healthy exercise and when we fall off, we get right back on again. My board was taken to the garage and left to rot. I questioned myself, maybe this person's right, maybe I need to grow up.

I stopped doing something that made me feel like me. I gave up a little piece of me that made me who I am, I was slowly but surely losing who I was. Why?

Why on this earth would anybody self sabotage this way? Or even, believe that something that makes up who you are, have it taken from you? I also enjoyed dancing. I was told that dancing gave me a false sense of confidence. I stopped competing. I stopped dancing. Why? I had no clue.

It became clear a while after I abolished the toxicity from my whole life. Thankfully, I made a full recovery and it was sad to realise maybe it was because I was successful and happy in my life at just 23. I was active, I danced for fun and competed, I skateboarded, worked 40+ hours a week steering a million miles away from unhealthy habits.

If there's anything that I strongly encourage it is to always do what makes you happy. Do those things, that make you, you! I mean, the things that make you, the best, version of yourself.

Be the most authentic you there is! I skateboard for life and I learnt a very valuable lesson, people will like you for who you are and should never want to change you.